Consensus

Too soon some
           of we became
                       they

None of us
           wished this
                       for ourselves

Yet some
           wished the rest
                       less

Moved to move
           many away
                       from the most

Chose to nominate
           the preterite
                       out of our midst

And the song of agreement
           went out from amongst
                       us went wrong

In the trying
           of times
                       trials multiplied

The darkening colors
           of closing time shaded
                       our prospect

But ours was a music
           of consensus could it
                       only live

In a dissolute time
           ours was a resolution
                       were it allowed to sound

The profound space
           of ourselves
                       could it but breathe

In the free air of
           our improvisings
                       was community

Airing our differences
           to the rhythms of 
                       deep time

As deep listening 
           to the welling waves
                       of thought

Transposes into keys
           to the kingdom
                       registers of faith

We shall gather
           in the rest
                       we shall gather by the river

Scoundrel time
           is not to be
                       our time

We play 
           against it and are called
                       free